End support and guide means for load supporting laths in vertical storage filing cabinet



q Apr1l4, 1967 e. I. BARKER 3,312,517

END SUPPORT AND GUIDE MEANS FOR LOAD SUPPORTING LATHS IN VERTICAL STORAGE FILING CABINET Filed Dec. 1, 1965 United States Patent END SUPPORT AND GUIDE MEANS FOR LOAD SUPPORTING LATHS IN VERTICAL STORAGE FILING CABINET Graham Irving Barker, 208 Golden Oaks, Corlett Drive, Johannesburg, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa Filed Dec. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 511,297 2 Claims. (Cl. 312331) This invention relates to load supporting laths in vertical storage filing cabinets in which the laths move along guide rails or the like and from which drawings and maps and the like may be suspended. More particularly this invention relates to the support and guide means for such laths.

The principal 'object of this invention is to provide in a veritcal storage filing cabinet having end supported laths nonbinding support means therefor which also provide means for maintaining parallel relationship of such laths.

In general this invention is featured by the provision of sprocket guide wheels connected by the rotatable shaft which engage bars in chain tracks at each end of the lath and by bearing means in bearing tracks preferably above the sprocket whels. The distance between the bearings and the sprocket wheels in relation to the dis tance between the bearing and chain tracks is such that the teeth of the sprocket wheels only engage the bars in the chain track. In this way the binding action ordinarily encountered in the use of sprockets is largely eliminated.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vertical storage filing cabinet employing the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

With reference now to the drawings and particularly FIG. 1 thereof, a vertical storage filing cabinet is provided with a plurality of laths 20 movable on bearings 12 in parallel bearing tracks 14 in the cabinet.

Sprockets 16 on each end of the laths are connected to each other via shaft 15 rotatably mounted on the laths which for present purposes are defined to include support brackets 21. The sprockets 16 ride in chain track 18, FIGS. 2 and 3, engaging, with teeth 17 of the sprockets, 'bars 19 of chain tracks 18 to maintain t0 the parallel relationship of the laths as they are moved.

3,312,517 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 Interspersed pins 22, 24 of facing portions of the laths 20 are provided to support stored materials.

The vertical distance between the bottom surfaces of the bearing tracks 14 and the upper surfaces of the bars 19 is greater than the distance between the bottom of bearings 12 and the bottom of sprockets 16 at positions 13 between teeth 17 thereof. Naturally, however, the distance to the ends of teeth 17 of sprockets 16 is greater than the distance from hearing tracks 14 to the tops of the bars 19.

In this way the sprockets do not ride on bars 19, rather the teeth 17 engage the bars 19 with their sides. Any binding action from the sprockets is largely eliminated. It has also been found preferable to position bearings 12 above sprockets 16 as an aid in reduction of binding.

In operation, as the laths are moved in one direction or the other, the sprockets ride consistently above the bars with only the sides thereof engaging the bars.

Other embodiments of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art which are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a vertical storage filing cabinet having at least one load bearing lath end supported by hearings in tracks of said cabinet, and having shaft connected sprocket Wheels cooperatively engaging spaced apart bars in chain tracks, vertically spaced from said bearing tracks, for maintaining the orientation of said lath, that improvement in which comprises positioning the bottom surface of said bearing tracks at a distance from the upper portion of said bars greater than the distance between the bottom of said bearings and the bottom of said sprockets at the position between and most remote from the ends of the teeth of said sprockets but less than the distance between the 'bottom of said bearings and the bottom of said sprockets at the ends of said teeth.

2. The improvement claimed in claim 1 in which said bearings and said bearing tracks are positioned above said sprockets and said chain tracks.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,675,277 4/ 1954 McClellan 312331 X 3,093,429 6/1963 Christen et al 3 l2331 FOREIGN PATENTS 534,499 9/1931 Germany. 850,939 9/1952 Germany.

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner. JAMES T. MCCALL, Examiner. 

1. IN A VERTICAL STORAGE FILING CABINET HAVING AT LEAST ONE LOAD BEARING LATH END SUPPORTED BY BEARINGS IN TRACKS OF SAID CABINET, AND HAVING SHAFT CONNECTED SPROCKET WHEELS COOPERATIVELY ENGAGING SPACED APART BARS IN CHAIN TRACKS, VERTICALLY SPACED FROM SAID BEARING TRACKS, FOR MAINTAINING THE ORIENTATION OF SAID LATH, THAT IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH COMPRISES POSITIONING THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF SAID BEARING TRACKS AT A DISTANCE FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID BARS GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF SAID BEARINGS AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID SPROCKETS AT THE POSITION BETWEEN AND MOST REMOTE FROM THE ENDS OF THE TEETH OF SAID SPROCKETS BUT LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF SAID BEARING AND THE BOTTOM OF SAID SPROCKETS AT THE ENDS OF SAID TEETH. 